In a pitch-black space, Yamahiko found himself surrounded by swirling black mist.
The mist slowly drifted toward him, and though he tried to evade it, he couldn't move, leaving him defenseless as the black mist crept over him, obscuring his mouth and nose, threatening to take his life.
But at that moment, a bolt of lightning descended, illuminating the space and dispersing the darkness.
Just like the lyrics of a song, "Like sunlight breaking through the night, silently crossing the horizon."
Yes, that light was the Light Giant from thirty million years ago, Ultraman Tiga!
???
[Note: I'm serious!]
...
Yamahiko suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, and found himself staring at a pristine white ceiling.
Where was he?
His head throbbed with pain, and as he looked around, he realized he was lying on a hospital bed. He attempted to move his body but was met with waves of pain.
What had happened?
Yamahiko struggled to recall the events leading up to his unconsciousness.
Right, he had battled with Kenpachi Zaraki. In the midst of the fight, he'd gained his Shikai and challenged Zaraki, who had removed his eye patch. Despite gaining the upper hand, Yamahiko had eventually collapsed due to exhaustion.
Zaraki hadn't killed him, but why had he pushed him to the brink of death?
Yamahiko couldn't fathom the reason. Just then, a voice spoke beside him, "Yamahiko, are you awake?"
Yamahiko turned to see a familiar face with the trademark doll-like head, it was Suì-Fēng.
"Captain, did you save me?" Yamahiko asked.
Suì-Fēng stood up, smiling, and replied, "You passed out, and Captain Zaraki didn't continue his attack."
"He didn't continue the attack?"
Yamahiko furrowed his brow and asked, "But he really wanted to kill me, right?"
Suì-Fēng replied, "The reason he wanted to kill you was at my request, and it had nothing to do with his true intentions."
"Captain's request? Why did you want him to kill me?" Yamahiko looked at Suì-Fēng, clearly puzzled.
Suì-Fēng slowly explained, "You've been unable to master Shikai all this time, and you were becoming increasingly frustrated. My own experience couldn't help you, so I thought that you might achieve Shikai through combat. Now, it seems like that method worked."
Yamahiko sighed and said, "But if I hadn't succeeded, I would be dead right now."
Yamahiko felt the real intent behind Kenpachi Zaraki's attempt to kill him. If he hadn't mastered Shikai at the last moment, he would have been killed.
Suì-Fēng confidently replied, "Of course not. If he had truly intended to harm you, I would have saved you, even if it meant going all out."
Yamahiko's eyes lit up at this response, and he asked, "Captain, did you master Shunko?"
"If I hadn't mastered Shunko, how could I dare to use such a dangerous method?"
Suì-Fēng's lips curled up in an uncontrollable smile. She removed her Shihakusho(Executive Attire), revealing her body wrapped in a combat suit.
In the next moment, a powerful explosion erupted from behind her combat suit. Blue energy converged on her back and shoulders, and electric arcs spread along her limbs. This was the Thunder Shunko.
Yamahiko, witnessing this scene, joyfully exclaimed, "You actually succeeded! Congratulations, Captain."
He tried to sit up, but the pain from his injuries caused him to grimace and lie back down.
"You fool! Don't move. Lie down properly," scolded Suì-Fēng when she saw his actions.
Although she appeared annoyed, she couldn't hide her growing satisfaction with this young man. Yamahiko's happiness for her success, even at the cost of his own injuries, warmed her heart.
Yamahiko smiled and said, "Captain, your strength has increased again."
Suì-Fēng smiled faintly, waved her arm, leaving afterimages in the air, and said, "Indeed, it has increased significantly."
In the original, it took her forty years, and she had only partially mastered Wind Shunko, but now, forty years ahead of schedule, she had mastered Thunder Shunko. Thunder Shunko was more in line with her Shikai abilities, and her overall strength had increased significantly.
Yamahiko genuinely felt delighted for her. After all, in the original story, Suì-Fēng's power level was somewhat awkward, lacking notable achievements. Her Suzumebachi was less impressive than Kenpachi Zaraki's Bankai, Nozarashi, and she had to contend with Shunsui Kyoraku carrying the title of "Captain of Squad 1" for his impressive skills.
But things were different now. With her increased strength and the Shikai at her disposal, she was among the top-ranked captains. Even if she couldn't defeat everyone, no one could easily defeat her.
"Captain Suì-Fēng, can you please retract this energy? Such power fluctuations are not good for a patient," a voice suddenly rang out, and a figure appeared behind Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng's body tensed up abruptly, and she quickly withdrew the energy. She turned to the person behind her and said, "I'm sorry, Captain Unohana."
"It's okay, just be more careful," replied Restu Unohana, who had appeared behind Suì-Fēng. She nodded at her and then approached Yamahiko, smiling as he said, "Your battle with Kenpachi Zaraki was quite intense. Most of Seireitei felt the phenomenon you created and the Reitsu you released. Your Shikai seems to be a thunder-type Zanpakuto?"
Yamahiko nodded and replied, "Yes, it's a thunder-type."
There was no need to hide this fact, as the scenes from their battle had likely already spread throughout Soul Society, even though he had been unconscious for several days.
Retsu Unohana continued, "I heard that if it weren't for your stamina running out, you would have killed him?"
Yamahiko said, "But I still failed."
Unohana said gently, "You've already done well, especially at such a young age. However, remember not to be arrogant because of your talent."
Yamahiko earnestly replied, "I'll remember."
"Your internal injuries have been treated, and the organs damaged by the piercing in your abdomen have been repaired. However, there are still wounds, and the chest injury is still in the healing phase. The broken bones have been mended but are still in the recovery stage. For a full recovery, it will take about five more days, so you'll need to stay in Squad 4 during that time," Unohana explained slowly.
Yamahiko quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Captain Unohana, and Squad 4 for the treatment."
"Then rest well. I'll take my leave," Unohana nodded, turned, and left. After she departed, Yamahiko looked at Suì-Fēng and asked, "Captain, how long was I unconscious?"
Suì-Fēng thought for a moment and said, "About a day and a half."
"Then what about Renji Abarai? Is he okay?"
Yamahiko remembered that Renji had been knocked unconscious by Kusajishi Yachiru.
"Don't worry about him, first worry about yourself," Suì-Fēng glanced at Yamahiko and said, "Of course, he's fine. After he woke up, he came to see you and wanted to stay here. I didn't like having others here, so I sent him away. I also sent away Yachiru, Matsumoto Rangiku, Kuchiki Rukia, Ikkaku Madarame, and two other people, who seem to be your classmates."
She's quite authoritative.
However, since Renji was fine, Yamahiko could put his mind at ease.
At this point, Suì-Fēng asked, "Are you hungry now?"
Yamahiko nodded and said, "Yes, a bit hungry."
Suì-Fēng picked up a bag, took out a box of sushi from it, opened the box, and placed it in front of Yamahiko, saying, "Eat."
Yamahiko looked at the sushi and was surprised by Suì-Fēng's thoughtfulness, which brought him a small sense of joy.
He picked up a piece of sushi and was about to put it in his mouth. However, when he saw Soifon gazing at him, he suddenly had an idea. He flicked his arm, causing the sushi to slip onto the bed, and then furrowed his brow tightly.
"What's wrong?" Suì-Fēng asked anxiously.
Yamahiko said, "It touched the wound a bit. It hurts."
Seeing Yamahiko in pain, Suì-Fēng said, "Then don't move. I'll feed you."
With that, Suì-Fēng picked up a piece of sushi and placed it near Yamahiko's mouth.
Yamahiko didn't know why, but he felt incredibly happy. He gently bit into the sushi, and his lips happened to touch Suì-Fēng's fingertips. Suì-Fēng didn't move her finger, waiting until Yamahiko had swallowed it before retracting her hand.
As Yamahiko ate the sushi, for some reason, he felt that the taste had become much more delicious.
After finishing the entire box of sushi, Yamahiko felt a bit full. He looked at Suì-Fēng and said, "Captain, I'm a bit thirsty."
Hearing this, Suì-Fēng went out to get a glass of water and came back to Yamahiko. She handed him the water cup.
Yamahiko took the water cup, drank it all in one gulp, and then handed the cup to Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng took the cup but stood there in a daze.
Yamahiko, puzzled, asked, "Captain, what's wrong?"
"Didn't you just drink water by yourself? It seems like your arm is fine," Suì-Fēng replied, her eyes in shadow, glaring at Yamahiko.
Uh...
Yamahiko immediately used his left hand to press down on his right arm and exclaimed, "Ah, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
"Stop fooling around," Suì-Fēng couldn't take it anymore and raised her hand to knock on Yamahiko's head.
"Okay," Yamahiko said, rubbing his head and looking pitifully at Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng snorted and placed the cup on the nearby table. Then she said, "Alright, enough playing around. Introduce your Zanpakuto to me. I'm curious about its name and abilities."